Doing a 150-miler, gave lip service to training

[bryanska]

Hey crazee biking people,

I'm attempting the MS150 in Minnesota on June 10th. Two 75-mile days,
extremely well-supported, 2500 riders.

I'm a bit worried about my training, or lack thereof. I've done about
250 miles of training in eight weeks. Most of that was sprint/interval
riding, which was half of the program that my training manual
recommended. These sessions were about 20-30 miles of alternately hard
and easy riding.

But I never did the other half: weekends of distance riding,
progressively building to 60 miles/day for two days in a row. The rain
in Minnesota has been persistent and cold, and I had no fenders.

I have one weekend left to fit in two long-distance rides before the
tour. I don't care about finishing first. I just want to finish.

Thoughts?

[GaryG]

"bryanska" > wrote in message
ups.com...
> Hey crazee biking people,
>
> I'm attempting the MS150 in Minnesota on June 10th. Two 75-mile days,
> extremely well-supported, 2500 riders.
>
> I'm a bit worried about my training, or lack thereof. I've done about
> 250 miles of training in eight weeks. Most of that was sprint/interval
> riding, which was half of the program that my training manual
> recommended. These sessions were about 20-30 miles of alternately hard
> and easy riding.
>
> But I never did the other half: weekends of distance riding,
> progressively building to 60 miles/day for two days in a row. The rain
> in Minnesota has been persistent and cold, and I had no fenders.
>
> I have one weekend left to fit in two long-distance rides before the
> tour. I don't care about finishing first. I just want to finish.
>
> Thoughts?
>

Make sure your bike fit is good, and your equipment is in good working
order.

Don't get sucked into going out too fast in the morning (avoid the shaved
leg pacelines). Go easy for the first 35 miles.

Make sure you eat and drink enough on the ride - 1 bottle per hour, 200-300
calories per hour (including both sport drink and energy bars, snacks,
etc.).

Don't spend too much time at the rest stops.

Use chamois cream (with your lack of training, your ass is probably going to
hurt no matter what, but this may help).

Bring ibuprofen.

Have fun.

--
~_-*
....G/ \G
http://www.CycliStats.com
CycliStats - Software for Cyclists

[jj]

On 31 May 2005 08:37:01 -0700, "bryanska" > wrote:

>Hey crazee biking people,
>
>I'm attempting the MS150 in Minnesota on June 10th. Two 75-mile days,
>extremely well-supported, 2500 riders.
>
>I'm a bit worried about my training, or lack thereof. I've done about
>250 miles of training in eight weeks. Most of that was sprint/interval
>riding, which was half of the program that my training manual
>recommended. These sessions were about 20-30 miles of alternately hard
>and easy riding.
>
>But I never did the other half: weekends of distance riding,
>progressively building to 60 miles/day for two days in a row. The rain
>in Minnesota has been persistent and cold, and I had no fenders.
>
>I have one weekend left to fit in two long-distance rides before the
>tour. I don't care about finishing first. I just want to finish.
>
>Thoughts?

I'd be interested in the answers you get, but could you tell us a little
more?

Did you start out eight weeks ago getting back on the bike for the first
time? If not, how long have you been fairly consistently riding.

What is the speed that you ride your intervals? What is your cruising
speed?

Are you a larger rider or a smaller rider? Young kid or mature rider? ;-)

Good luck!

jj

[bryanska]

Let's see... Last season was my first in years. I'm 27. So I've only
been consistently riding for a year and a half.

I bought the bike last year, and struggled with fit. This year it fits
pretty well, though I'm getting a set of ergo bars this week.

My intervals were urban, so my average speeds were low. When I got
going, I'd top off about 20 MPH and cruise at 15. I can't "spin" on my
bike because the chainrings are oval Biopace, so I look different than
the guys going 90 RPM.

I'm about 5' 8" and small-framed.

[Rich]

bryanska wrote:

> I'm attempting the MS150 in Minnesota on June 10th. Two 75-mile days,
> extremely well-supported, 2500 riders.
>
> I just want to finish.

You'll finish without difficulty. I once rode a few days of the RAGBRAI
with pretty much zero prep. I was completely exausted at the end of day
3, but while riding it wasn't a problem. Group dynamics. Everyone else
is riding, so you ride. And talk. The miles just go by.

Rich

[Booker C. Bense]

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----

In article om>,
bryanska > wrote:
>Hey crazee biking people,
>
>I'm attempting the MS150 in Minnesota on June 10th. Two 75-mile days,
>extremely well-supported, 2500 riders.
>
>I'm a bit worried about my training, or lack thereof. I've done about
>250 miles of training in eight weeks. Most of that was sprint/interval
>riding, which was half of the program that my training manual
>recommended. These sessions were about 20-30 miles of alternately hard
>and easy riding.
>
>But I never did the other half: weekends of distance riding,
>progressively building to 60 miles/day for two days in a row. The rain
>in Minnesota has been persistent and cold, and I had no fenders.
>
>I have one weekend left to fit in two long-distance rides before the
>tour. I don't care about finishing first. I just want to finish.
>
>Thoughts?
>

_ Well, it's too late now, the basic rule of thumb is that the
training takes two weeks to show results. (i.e. long rides
two weeks before the event might help, one week before will
not ). However, if approached rationally you
can survive the weekend. The morning of the second day will be
hard regardless, but eat and drink early, stop at every rest
stop ( not too long ) and go as slow as you can make your self
go, particularly early on day one. With no real aerobic base,
even hammering up one hill will put you behind the 8 ball for
the rest of the weekend.

_ Even if you do everything wrong, you'll finish if you have
the will. Most people are capable of much more than they think
they can do, it's just a question of how far into the suffer
box you wish to go.

_ Booker C. Bense


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[Bob Dole]

Let's assume you are in reasonably good cardio shape, which "cruising
at 15 mph" for 20-30 miles seems to imply. This means there's
relatively little danger of severe distress. Then it's mainly a
question of getting sore -- you should be able to finish.

As others have pointed out, take it easy and treat your body as well as
possible. Getting up day 2 may be hard. You might want to stand at
the rest stops, rather than sitting down.

Some "Bag Balm" or "Udder Cream" might be a good to rub around the
crotch area to help avoid sores. These are available locally at
Walgreens.

I'm guessing there will be other people who've done even less training
than you.

[bryanska]

The advice is really appreciated.

I've been using a pair of Pearl Izumi tights with the double-padded
chamois. Even with this, I should use a bit of balm?

I'm heartened that I can go get Bag Balm of Udder Balm and not an
expensive cycling product.

[gds]

bryanska wrote:
> Hey crazee biking people,
>
> I'm attempting the MS150 in Minnesota on June 10th. Two 75-mile days,
> extremely well-supported, 2500 riders.
>
> I'm a bit worried about my training, or lack thereof. I've done about
> 250 miles of training in eight weeks. Most of that was sprint/interval
> riding, which was half of the program that my training manual
> recommended. These sessions were about 20-30 miles of alternately hard
> and easy riding.
>
> But I never did the other half: weekends of distance riding,
> progressively building to 60 miles/day for two days in a row. The rain
> in Minnesota has been persistent and cold, and I had no fenders.
>
> I have one weekend left to fit in two long-distance rides before the
> tour. I don't care about finishing first. I just want to finish.
>
> Thoughts?

I'll agree with the other that a reasonably fit 27 yo should "survive."

But then I'm driven to ask--- "why?"

I mean recreational cycling is supposed to be fun. I don't think you'll
have fun. This is not to suggest that pushing one's limits can't be
fun. But - to me- that would imply doing the requisite trining to make
the effort reasonable within the context of the training level. Just
suffering for a couple of days doesn't seem like the best way to spend
the weekend.

So, why not put in the training you admit you need and do some other
ride or this ride next year? I don't mean this as a put down. But if
you do a ride well above your training level I think you are just going
to suffer.

[bryanska]

LOL...

"So, why not put in the training you admit you need and do some other
ride or this ride next year?"

I'll tell you exactly why...

I painted myself into a corner and gathered $200 of pledges, that's
why.

And this is the kind of thing I do to kill time. It seems more
worthwhile to me to stick to my guns then to bow out and admit defeat.
True, there's dignity in defeat.

But I don't see these kind of things as "fun". My fun activities
quickly make a person sick or poor or fat, and few can keep up with my
kind of fun anyway. So this is a kind of healthy substitute. For me,
this is about growth and challenge and proving it to myself.

Which is why I'm too chicken-sh1t to quit.

[gds]

bryanska wrote:
> LOL...
>
> "So, why not put in the training you admit you need and do some other
> ride or this ride next year?"
>
> I'll tell you exactly why...
>
> I painted myself into a corner and gathered $200 of pledges, that's
> why.
>
> And this is the kind of thing I do to kill time. It seems more
> worthwhile to me to stick to my guns then to bow out and admit defeat.
> True, there's dignity in defeat.
>
> But I don't see these kind of things as "fun". My fun activities
> quickly make a person sick or poor or fat, and few can keep up with my
> kind of fun anyway. So this is a kind of healthy substitute. For me,
> this is about growth and challenge and proving it to myself.
>
> Which is why I'm too chicken-sh1t to quit.

OK, my guess is that you'll complete the ride-- and wish you hadn't.
As others have posted it's too late to train now so ibuprofen and some
post ride hydration with good suds.

And if I'm wrong and you wind up enjoying the event- great!

[bryanska]

LOL...

"So, why not put in the training you admit you need and do some other
ride or this ride next year?"

I'll tell you exactly why...

I painted myself into a corner and gathered $200 of pledges, that's
why.

And this is the kind of thing I do to kill time. It seems more
worthwhile to me to stick to my guns then to bow out and admit defeat.
True, there's dignity in defeat.

But I don't see these kind of things as "fun". My fun activities
quickly make a person sick or poor or fat, and few can keep up with my
kind of fun anyway. So this is a kind of healthy substitute. For me,
this is about growth and challenge and proving it to myself.

Which is why I'm too chicken-sh1t to quit.

[Rich]

gds wrote:

> I mean recreational cycling is supposed to be fun. I don't think you'll
> have fun.

You'll have fun. Report back in two weeks to let us know how much.

Rich

[Peter Cole]

bryanska wrote:
> Hey crazee biking people,
>
> I'm attempting the MS150 in Minnesota on June 10th. Two 75-mile days,
> extremely well-supported, 2500 riders.

> I have one weekend left to fit in two long-distance rides before the
> tour. I don't care about finishing first. I just want to finish.
>
> Thoughts?

I'd go for it, try to get in at least one long ride the weekend before,
you should recover from that easily in the week between, perhaps aided
by a very slow "active recovery" ride.

If you can't find bag balm, just get some "A&D" ointment (or generic
equiv.) it's a diaper rash preventative, contains petrolatum and
lanolin, since besides lubricating you want to waterproof your skin
because moisture (sweat) causes the skin to soften and break down faster.

Go out slower than you think you should, everyone makes the mistake of
starting too fast. Stretching and massaging your legs can help
rejuvenate them at stops and after day 1. Take it very easy on the hills.

You can actually train for rides on rides. This is common on month-long
cross country tours. The first week is spent ramping up, doing a little
more each day. If I were in your shoes, I'd try a moderate (like 30 mi)
ride on day 1 and 50-60 on day 2 the weekend before.

[bryanska]

gds - i didn't mean to sound sarcastic in my reply, sorry if it came
off that way.

[Rich]

bryanska wrote:

> few can keep up with my
> kind of fun anyway.

Must be a relative of Iron Bills.

[gds]

bryanska wrote:
> gds - i didn't mean to sound sarcastic in my reply, sorry if it came
> off that way.

No problem! I'm sorry to be the wet rag in the group but from your
original post it sounded like training was not high up on your to do
list at the current time.
That being the case my own view is much more to ask why do it rather
than to encourage you to do something that might turn into a real
struggle. Of course, I also have no idea how fit you are from other
activities and my caution may well be overblown. 35 years ago I had a
friend who was a top tennis player who cliamed that running a marathon
was no big deal. He proved to be right- for him- as withonly his normal
tennis training he ran a marathon in sub 3 hours. But he was a world
class athlete and had lots of fitness training going for him.

[Booker C. Bense]

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----

In article om>,
bryanska > wrote:
>The advice is really appreciated.
>
>I've been using a pair of Pearl Izumi tights with the double-padded
>chamois. Even with this, I should use a bit of balm?

_ Definitely. Vaseline also works and can be found in most
convience stores.

_ Booker C. Bense


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[lokey]

"bryanska" > wrote in message
ups.com...
> Hey crazee biking people,
>
> I'm attempting the MS150 in Minnesota on June 10th. Two 75-mile days,
> extremely well-supported, 2500 riders.
>
> I'm a bit worried about my training, or lack thereof. I've done about
> 250 miles of training in eight weeks. Most of that was sprint/interval
> riding, which was half of the program that my training manual
> recommended. These sessions were about 20-30 miles of alternately hard
> and easy riding.
>
> But I never did the other half: weekends of distance riding,
> progressively building to 60 miles/day for two days in a row. The rain
> in Minnesota has been persistent and cold, and I had no fenders.
>
> I have one weekend left to fit in two long-distance rides before the
> tour. I don't care about finishing first. I just want to finish.
>
> Thoughts?

Dunno about you but I think I could do the first day with pretty much nil
prep-training. The second day however... I'd be so much raw meat.

--
'I may crack
But I'll never shatter' -meredith brooks

[[email protected]]

MS puts on a good ride. I've done them several times. You'll be fine.
Just don't start out to hard. Dont try to "keep up" witrh a group. Find
your own pace. They have rest stops about every 10 miles so look at it
as a series of 10 mile rides rather than a long 75 mile ride for the
day. Just don't spend much time at the rest stops.

[bryanska]

In response to this thread:

http://groups-beta.google.com/group/rec.bicycles.misc/browse_thread/thread/2f63c687aef3e76a/b8ddb2461f1a8d03?q=lip+service&rnum=5#b8ddb2461f1a8d03

I thought I'd provide an update---

I finished the MS150 yesterday. Wonderful event. And literally everyone
did it, from children to retired folks. Not that it wasn't anything
less of an accomplishment for me. I've never done anything like it
before. Last year's 20-miler was tough enough, and I was pretty
intimidated at this one.

Did my half-efforts at training hurt me? Some.

The first day was no problem, except for bike fit issues. Per this
forum's advice I stopped at every rest stop, ate a banana, and
generally kept moving. I had a light breakfast heavy on nutrients and
light on fiber & fat. There was lots of food at the stops and I was
never hungry. I never touched the energy bars I had on me.

The second day I had none of the predicted problems getting back on the
bike. The morning went fine.

However, I ate too much at lunch - almost a whole 6" Subway, chips,
and a milk. I believe this made the following 12-mile section the most
difficult of all. My legs were shooting with pain, especially where
they connect at the upper end of the hamstring. This continued the rest
of the ride.

What amazed me is that all the predicted "pain spots" didn't
hurt. Discomfort was coming from unexpected areas, while the usual
suspects remained pretty much manageable.

I didn't get saddle sores, though I had lots of numbness. My shorts
were double-padded Pearl Izumis that protected me well. I didn't use
any creams or corn starch on the tender regions and I was fine. My
hands were in horrible shape due to what I suspect is bad fit. NO
positions relieved the discomfort, which was constant and only relieved
off the bike. (Screw all y'all who keep saying "just change your
hand positions often" - because what if none work? I recommend
bitching to your LBS and spending the necessary $$ to MINIMIZE HAND
PAIN, because this was the single worst discomfort).

My lack of distance training really showed around mile 120 through 150.
For anyone attempting the MS150, I must stress that you WILL benefit
from a couple weekends of distance training. I can testify there are
many issues that cannot be imagined until after 100 miles. For example,
my right knee started to complain at mile 110. Stay double-dosed on
ibuprofen.

However, I did make it out alive, in one piece, and in the top third. I
spent 9 hours and 58 minutes in the saddle, with an average of 14.9
MPH. To my flabby man-breasted self, it was a great physical and mental
challenge that really makes me proud.

Don't let the above whining keep you away; it's merely a follow-up
to a thread about preparedness. If you're considering it, I can say
that you'll be buoyed by a great support crew and real friendly
riders. Not cheesy friendly either, but genuine good people. And you
will finish, no matter what machine you're riding. There's lots of
food and drink. You don't need to carry a thing on the road except
for a tire kit and water. Everything else is provided at the stops.

Thanks to everyone who replied on this thread!

[jj]

On 13 Jun 2005 07:38:12 -0700, "bryanska" > wrote:

>However, I did make it out alive, in one piece, and in the top third. I
>spent 9 hours and 58 minutes in the saddle, with an average of 14.9
>MPH. To my flabby man-breasted self, it was a great physical and mental
>challenge that really makes me proud.

WOW! (worship)(worship)(bounce)(bounce)(woot)(woot). (*)

Hope you got some pictures...(at least of your bike)!

Dude, you RULE!!!

Great followup. (saved to HD).

jj
(*) IM-ers, and trillian-o-bytes will get this, lol.

[C.J.Patten]

I second JJ's <bounce bounce>!

AWESOME!

I did an MS150 (Noranda Forest, Ottawa) tour about 12 years ago. LOVED it.
Saw people from school and work I didn't know were in to cycling. Learned a
lot just as you did. I camped out - or at least, I tried to until my tent
blew away and I found a maintenance closet to sleep in. ;)

Which MS ride was it you did? (I see it was Minnesota - do they do more than
one in the state?)

C.

[SlowRider]

Congratulations! I doff my helmet to you (pardon the sweat).


-JR

[bryanska]

It was the Minnesota MS 150, but there's only one in the state.

Here's my blog entry with pics and videos, for those curious how this
thing looks.

http://www.theevilwebsite.com/blog/_archives/2005/6/14/940335.html

[[email protected]]

bryanska wrote:
> It was the Minnesota MS 150, but there's only one in the state.
>
> Here's my blog entry with pics and videos, for those curious how this
> thing looks.
>
> http://www.theevilwebsite.com/blog/_archives/2005/6/14/940335.html

MS Society has three rides in Minnesota every year, the MS 60/30 (one
day)in May, the MS 150 in June (two day) and the MS TRAM (The Ride
Across Minnesota-5 days riding, about 300 miles) in July.

The key to the MS 150 is hotels, in Hinckley AND Duluth, especially
with the weather we've been having this year.

Nice website.